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- Excellent customer service
- Great deals for Clubcard holders
- Strong on reliability and customer satisfaction
- Free EU roaming
- Speed scores remain below average
- Can be more expensive on two-year phone contracts
Tesco Mobile hasn’t so much lost the stigma of being a supermarket own-brand network as rendered it irrelevant. A partnership between Tesco and Virgin Media O2, it’s the largest of the UK’s virtual network operators with over 5.7 million users, and that’s not just a result of a presence in Tesco stores across the country. Last year, it won our Mobile Network Award for Customer Service and was a serious contender in the Value category. This year it’s done even better, winning awards for Customer Service, Reliability, Roaming and Multi-user plans, while coming second in the Handset Contracts category and third for SIM-only contracts.
Tesco Mobile also came third for Best Overall Mobile Network. Customer satisfaction levels across the board are high. It’s one of only four networks in this year’s survey where more than half (54%) of its users would recommend it to others, even if a disappointing 14% would recommend potential customers to look elsewhere. This kept it out of the running in our Most Recommended category, but there are many more happy Tesco Mobile customers than customers complaining.
Tesco Mobile review: What do you get?
Tesco Mobile used to have a ludicrously convoluted line-up of SIM-only contracts, but last year it whittled these down so that we now have a sensible seven options, available on 12-month and 24-month terms. The cheapest deal gives you 2GB of data for £8 per month on a 12-month contract, or £7.50 on a two-year deal.
Beyond this you get 12GB to 250GB deals at £10 to £25, plus an Unlimited data deal for £25 to £30. You can get a cheaper deal by signing up for two years, and an even cheaper deal if you have a Tesco clubcard. There are significant discounts if you do. £18 for unlimited data is the kind of bargain you normally expect from a budget, no-frills network.
Tesco Clubcard users should also look at Tesco Mobile if they’re splashing out on a new smartphone. There are usually some tempting offers on the latest Apple, Google or Samsung smartphones. Right now, for instance, you could have a Google Pixel 9a from £27.49 per month on a 36-month deal, but that drops to £19.99 a month if you have a Tesco Clubcard.
The only thing to watch out for is that costs rise significantly if you switch to a two-year term. For instance, the iPhone 17 is available from £36.49 per month with a 3GB data plan, or £43.99 per month on a more sensible 25GB plan on a 36-month contract. However, you’re looking at £48.49 and £55.99 over 24-months. That’s not painfully expensive, but it’s more than you’ll spend with Sky Mobile or Three.
All the same, Tesco Mobile customers seem to be happy with the value of their plans. In fact 95% told us they were satisfied while only 4% were dissatisfied with what they were getting for their money. This wasn’t quite enough to put Tesco Mobile in the top three for Value this year, but competition was tight and it wasn’t far behind the leaders. What’s more, our survey rated Tesco second best for Handset Contracts and third-best for SIM-Only plans.
Tesco Mobile review: Customer service
Customer service has long been a Tesco Mobile strength, and so it proved this year. 90% of customers who told us that they had experienced a problem with the network told us they were satisfied with the way it was resolved, and a mere 2% said they were dissatisfied. Despite some stiff competition from Giffgaff, this performance landed it our Best for Customer Service award again this year.
Ofcom’s latest Comparing Customer Service report backs up the decision. Tesco Mobile and Giffgaff have the highest overall scores for customer satisfaction, and Tesco Mobile had the lowest percentage of customers with a reason to complain. It also had the best overall satisfaction with the way complaints were handled, and fewer complaints per 100,000 subscribers than any other network. Throw in the second-shortest call waiting times, and it’s clearly working hard to keep its customers onboard.
Tesco Mobile review: Coverage, reliability and speed
Tesco Mobile users also believe it’s a network they can rely on. Asked how often the network met their expectations for web browsing, media streaming and online gaming, it had the second highest score (79%) in our survey for web browsing and the highest score (88%) for streaming. It also had the highest score for online gaming (88%). This was enough to win the Most Reliable award by a 12% margin.
It didn’t do quite so well for performance. Here Tesco Mobile’s final score placed it towards the bottom of the pack, above Vodafone, O2 and Three.
Like Giffgaff and Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile runs over O2’s network, which the latest independent speed test figures from RootMetrics rank as the slowest of the UK’s major operators. O2’s 5G speeds and coverage are improving, but it still lags behind EE, Three and Vodafone with a median UK 5G download speed of under 100Mbps. Its 4G/5G median download speeds are also slower than Vodafone and Three, and way behind those of speed leader, EE. Performance should improve as 5G connectivity rolls out further, with O2’s 5G services already covering over 4,000 towns, cities and villages and more than 50% of the UK population. All the same, it might be the one thing that’s holding Tesco Mobile back right now.
Tesco Mobile review: Roaming
Tesco Mobile chalks up another win in the Best for Roaming category, where our survey asked Tesco Mobile users who had used roaming abroad to say how satisfied they were with the value of their roaming service. Well over half (55%) were very satisfied and a further 41% satisfied, with just 2% dissatisfied. Here Tesco Mobile pulled 14% clear of the next best network, Sky Mobile.
It probably helps that Tesco has promised no roaming fees in 48 mostly EU destinations until next year at the earliest. What’s more, if you burn through your UK allowance, you’ll just pay standard rates rather than an inflated international rate. Outside this zone things can get more expensive, with costs reaching 89p per minute, 40p per text and £5 per MB in the US or Australia and even more in Thailand or Kenya. If you’re travelling outside the EU, you might want to invest in a short term SIM-only deal on another network.
Tesco Mobile review: Other services and spending caps
Tesco Mobile allows you to limit your monthly spend to your allowance and nothing more, or to set a safety buffer of between £2.50 and £50 outside your current plan.
Otherwise, Tesco Mobile’s strongest extras are its Family Perks. You can have up to five contracts on the one account, and each can choose a free perk, including extra data, money off your bill and bonus Tesco Clubcard points. Clubcard users also get their price frozen for the duration of the contract and Clubcard points for every pound spent on their contract. It’s this generous approach that helped Tesco Mobile score another win, this time for Multi-User Contracts.
Tesco Mobile review: Verdict
This year’s Mobile Network Awards has been a triumph for Tesco Mobile, showing that there’s more to delivering a good service than coverage and performance, and that there’s more to good value than just a low price. We’d like to see improvements in speed as 5G services roll out further, but customers seem to be happy with the service that they’re getting and the price they’re paying for it. Throw in great Clubcard deals and family perks, and it’s a great network for most people.
